


Lean On Me

by MadalineGrace



Series: What's Your Emergency? [3]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Concussions, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, worried family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:55:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23472052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadalineGrace/pseuds/MadalineGrace
Summary: It was one of those nick-of-time rescues. A real Mission Impossible, “cool guys don’t look at explosions,” Hail Mary type of situation. Buck would have found the whole thing incredibly thrilling if his head didn’t hurt so much.A close call leaves Buck concussed and his family worried.
Series: What's Your Emergency? [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1688359
Comments: 15
Kudos: 326





	Lean On Me

It was one of those nick-of-time rescues. A real Mission Impossible, “cool guys don’t look at explosions,” Hail Mary type of situation. Buck would have found the whole thing incredibly thrilling if his head didn’t hurt so damn much. As he sprinted out of the burning house, flames licking at his jacket and a kid slung over each shoulder, he swore he could hear the crowd on the sidewalk cheering…but maybe that just the roar of the explosion igniting behind him. The moment he had cleared the threshold, Buck felt himself lifted by some unseen force and thrown roughly to the ground. He had just enough presence of mind to curl his body around the children to shield them from the impact before all sense was knocked from him.

* * *

“-uck!”

The blackout didn’t last long, a few seconds at most. He woke to the sounds of people shouting and footsteps rushing toward him. Shaking his head to clear stars that speckled his vision, he began gingerly propping himself up on one elbow.

“Buck, you alright?” A concerned voice called from his left as a strong hand gripped his shoulder. Buck blinked for moment, trying to process the voice. _Chim_ , his brain supplied helpfully.

“Fine.” Buck rasped, coughing a little as he shuffled to his knees. “Check the kids. They…they were in there a long time.” Chim fixed him with a shrewd look for another half second before directing his attention to the six-year-old boy crying in the grass next to them. Hen was already working on his sister. To Buck’s immense relief, both children seemed to relatively unscathed. Shocked, terrified, and probably suffering from mild smoke inhalation, but they’d live. Wearily, Buck began struggling to his feet. Suddenly, the world around him began sliding out of focus.

“Easy, buddy. I gotcha.” Eddie’s quiet voice murmured in his ear, steadying him with a firm grip under his arm as he pitched forward. Another set of hands, Bobby’s, joined in on his other side and slowly hauled him upright.

“You okay?” Bobby asked seriously.

“Yeah, Cap, ‘m good.” Buck answered unconvincingly. Neither man had released their hold on him yet.

“Sure about that? You’re swaying an awful lot. That was quite the fall you took there, kid.”

“Gimme a sec an’ I’ll be right as rain.” The slight slur in Buck’s voice did nothing to assuage their concerns.

“Why don’t we go sit down?” Eddie suggested. “Let me check you over, make sure you’re as fine as you claim to be.”

“Eddie-“

“You!” Someone interjected, cutting Buck off before he could shrug off their ministrations. A woman was running over. She was soot streaked, with tears running in lines down her face. Before Buck even had a chance to react, she was engulfing him in a tight hug. “My babies!” She sobbed. “You went back for them! I thought…I thought…”

“I-it’s okay, ma’am.” Buck stuttered, returning her hug and gently patting her back. “They’re gonna be alright now.”

“I don’t even know how to thank you.” She choked out, tossing a quick glance over her shoulder as Hen and Chim helped another team of paramedics load the children into the back of an ambulance.

“S’no need. Juss doin’ my job.” Buck’s reply was unusually modest. She smiled and planted a light kiss on his cheek.

“We will _never_ forget you.” She whispered fiercely before rushing off to the waiting ambulance. Buck watched her go in a daze.

“Okay, pal.” Eddie clapped a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back to the moment. “Let’s have a look-see, huh?”

“I told you, I’m-“

“Buck, what is that?” Bobby interrupted, his tone suddenly sharp. Without waiting for an answer, Bobby quickly undid the straps of Buck’s helmet and pulled it off.

“Oh…shit.” Eddie muttered, eyes going wide. “Hen! Chim!”

“S’wrong?” Buck asked. As muddled as things were right now, he got the feeling that he was a half step behind.

“C’mon, let’s get you over to the truck.” Evaded Bobby. “Just lean on me.” Together, he and Eddie practically carried Buck over to meet Hen and Chim.

“I can walk.” Buck mumbled stubbornly. Despite his assurances, he doubted he would have made it two feet without collapsing if not for them. The ground was tilting and sliding beneath him, making him nauseous.

“Cap? What’s…” Hen trailed off as soon as she caught sight of them. “Okay, Buckaroo. Just take a seat, right here.” Had he been more alert, Buck would have noticed that she was using the soothing voice she reserved for scared patients as they lowered him to sit on the edge of the ambulance.

“This might hurt a bit, kiddo.” Chim warned before pressing an alarmingly large wad of gauze to Buck’s temple. Buck winced, his hand instinctively going up toward the source of the pain. Bobbly was quick to pull it down, but not before he touched something wet and sticky. Buck blinked down at the scarlet stains on his fingertips.

“What?” Was he…bleeding?

“Buck? I need you to look at me for sec.” Eddie commanded, crouching down in front of him. Buck complied, then instantly regretted it when a bright light assaulted his eyes, forcing him to groan and shrink back. “Photosensitivity, slight dilation of the right pupil, but both are sluggish.” Eddie announced worriedly. Bobby leaned in close and examined Buck for himself.

“Can you answer a few questions for me?” Bobby asked, his voice softer now, trying to conceal his obvious concern. Buck made a small noise of assent and Bobby gave him an encouraging smile. “Can you tell me your name?”

“Buck.”

“Full name, kid.”

“Evan Buckley.” _That was an easy one_ , Buck thought absently. He could actually feel his focus drifting.

“Good. Do you know where you are?” Buck paused for a second, glancing around. Squinting in the bright sunshine, he couldn’t pick out much past his blurry vision. _Where the hell am I?_ This was all getting to be too much. His head was pounding and he wanted nothing more than to curl up somewhere in the dark. “Buck?” Bobby prompted gently.

“What?” Buck tried to remember the question, but he was so confused and the pain was getting worse and God he just wanted to sleep…

“Hey, eyes open, buddy!” Eddie said sharply, propping him up with a hand on his chest. When had he leaned forward?

“This bleeding isn’t slowing down.” Hen added, grabbing another wad of gauze.

“Okay, let’s get him transported. I don’t like this.” Bobby decided.

* * *

Bobby sighed heavily, taking another sip of the tepid swill the hospital dared to call coffee. It was his third cup and the caffeine seemed to have no impact on his exhaustion. Buck had been brought in three hours ago and they still hadn’t heard a word. The nurse at the desk had looked ready to throttle them when they’d asked her for the fifteenth time for an update she didn’t have, but Bobby couldn’t help it. The ambulance ride over had been terrifying, with Buck barely responsive and fading in and out of consciousness. The last time he’d seen Buck, the kid was ghostly pale, passed on a blood-soaked gurney being wheeled into the trauma bay. Since then, he had been camped out in the waiting room with Eddie, Hen, and Chim, trying to suppress the worst-case scenarios that kept flashing through his mind. He was a mess and he knew it. The others weren’t any better. Hen was sitting eerily still in her chair, staring intensely at the clock on the wall. Her gaze never moved. In contrast, Chim couldn’t stop fidgeting. His foot bounced anxiously as he repeatedly called Maddie, despite knowing that she was hiking out of cell range with a friend from work. Eddie took it a step further. He hadn’t sat down once, choosing instead to pace the waiting room. He jumped at every doctor and nurse that passed, asking for information. Any that passed by twice shook their heads as soon as they saw him approach. Bobby was aware that they were nuisances, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He’d once told Athena that Buck wasn’t his kid, but that was a lie and he knew it. Blood be damned, he’d essentially adopted the boy the moment he walked into the 118. If anything happened to him…

“Family of Evan Buckley?” They all came to point like bird dogs, eyes snapping over to the young doctor entering the room. In an instant, they were on her, bombarding her with questions.

“How is he?”

“What did you see in his scans?”

“Has he woken up yet?”

“Why has he been back so long?”

“Relax.” She said, holding up a hand to silence them. “Mr. Buckley is doing well. He has a grade II concussion, but his scans show no signs of fractures, swelling, or bleeding. In fact, his pupillary response has almost returned to normal. We’ve stitched up the wound on his temple and it should heal with minimal scarring. As for why it’s taken so long, Mr. Buckley required IV fluids and a blood transfusion to bring his blood pressure back up. He lost quite a bit of blood from his injury. While head wounds do tend to bleed a lot, we suspect that his was so extensive due to the fact that he just discontinued a prolonged course of blood thinners two days ago. Some of the drug was likely still in his system and contributed to the excessive bleeding he experienced. As of right now, Mr. Buckley has regained consciousness and his vitals are within acceptable ranges. He is coherent and able to answer questions, so we can probably attribute many of his initial symptoms – extreme confusion, low blood pressure, tachycardia, and loss of consciousness – more to the blood loss than anything else.” The team took a collective sigh of relief. The tension seemed to melt out of their bodies.

“Can we see him?” Eddie asked. The doctor nodded.

“I can take you to him now. I’ll warn you that he is in some pain and is still easily confused and struggles to focus. That said, I see no reason he can’t be discharged in a couple hours, provided he has someone to stay with him?”

“He’ll stay with me.” Bobby offered without hesitation.

“Very well. If you’ll follow me?”

* * *

It was dark by the time Bobby pulled into his driveway. Buck had been unnervingly quiet throughout the ride and it was starting to worry him.

“You okay, kid?” Bobby asked, his voice soft in deference to Buck’s headache. Buck nodded minutely, still not speaking. Doing his best to hide his concern, Bobby shut off the car and walked around to the passenger door.

“Take your time. Lean on me.” Bobby instructed as he helped Buck out. The kid was still fairly unsteady and prone to bouts of severe dizziness, so Bobby held him close while he steered his charge inside. Buck, for his part, had a vice grip on Bobby’s arm. When they reached the door, Buck couldn’t hide the wince as the bright porch light sent spikes through his head. “Close your eyes for a second.” Bobby murmured, fishing for his house key. He needn’t have bothered. Before he could fit the key in the lock, the door swung open to reveal Athena.

“Oh, Buck…” She whispered, ushering them inside. Bobby had done his best to prepare her, but he knew it was still a shock to see the normally vibrant young man so weak and battered.

“’Thena?” Buck mumbled. He met her eyes, but he looked uncharacteristically shy. “’m sorry. I-I won’t stay long. Didn’t mean to-“

“Hush, none of that. You are always welcome here, baby. I’ve got the guest room all made up for you.” Athena started leading the way and Buck shot Bobby an anxious look. Bobby replied with his own _you try to tell her no_ look. Slowly, they followed her.

“Watch your step.” Bobby carefully guided Buck down the short steps into the living room. By the time they reached the bedroom, Buck was a few shades paler and had a light sheen of perspiration on his forehead. Athena was waiting with the covers pulled back, holding out a pair of Buck’s own sweatpants and one of his shirts.

“I know you’re tired, honey, but you’ll be much more comfortable in these.” He stared at the items, eyes wide.

“Buck?” Bobby asked.

“How…how’d you get my clothes?”

“I swung by your place, of course.” Athena explained. Buck’s brow furrowed.

“Without a key?”

“I picked the lock.” She said with a shrug. At Buck’s look of utter confusion, Athena huffed out a small laugh. “Sweetheart, I didn’t get this far as a cop without learning a few tricks. Now, lets get you dressed.”

Buck was strangely compliant as Bobby and Athena helped his out of his blood-encrusted uniform and into the new clothes. Sensing that Buck wouldn’t be able to stay awake much longer, Bobby quickly fetched the pills the doctor had prescribed and a glass of water. When he returned, Buck’s lids were barely half open.

“Here, take these. They’ll help with the pain.” Bobby tipped the pills into Buck’s palm, then helped guide the glass to his lips when Buck’s hand shook too much. With that done, he eased Buck back to lie down.

“Get some sleep, kiddo. I’ll come check on you in a bit. If you need anything, we’ll be here. Your phone is on the nightstand and Athena and I are right next door, okay?” Bobby promised, smoothing back his soft blond hair. Buck mumbled what sounded like a thank you, but he was barely conscious. Athena smiled affectionately and pulled the blankets up over him.

“Sleep tight, Buckaroo. We love you.”


End file.
